Have you ever experienced that feeling just before a
massive storm hits, as the skies darken, when you can feel a mounting pressure
and intensity in the air, and there is this eerie silence; when you know it's
going to be a bad one but you don't know exactly when it's going to erupt? The
American people, though greatly stressed and frustrated remain passive,
submissive and largely silent. But is this, in reality, merely the calm before
the storm?

Every since the housing collapse triggered the recession that
began in 2008, millions of Americans have been battered and beaten down, struggling
to find jobs and stay afloat during this dire crisis in their lives. They watch
as this government that should be attacking these problems has become totally
dysfunctional, collapsing under the weight of a broken and corrupted political
system.

But with all this pain and suffering, personal setbacks
and the prospect of more and more of the same, the people of America remain
in a form of semi-paralysis, full of fear and apprehension, but not protesting;
seemingly unable to vent their mounting anger.

Those in the field of psychology would tell us that this
is not a good condition. Keeping things inside, allowing problems to fester
without relief, can be extremely harmful, both physically and mentally. People under
such stress and tension in their lives often come to the point where life has
lost its meaning and that's when unexpected things can easily happen. What are
the people of America
to do, where can they go, who can they turn to in their greatest time of need?
Can they continue to wait and hope that this president or this Congress will
respond to their needs?

Two major factors have the potential to trigger a societal
eruption in America;
jobs and food, both necessities of life. We all know about the never-ending
jobs problem but there is another rapidly escalating problem involving food.
Right now there are about 45 million Americans living below the poverty line
and about the same number dependent on food stamps. The combination of a lack
of jobs and the inability to pay the increasing prices for food are forcing
more and more people into poverty and on food stamps.

And there is yet another factor that could bring on a
storm of protests and rioting. Suppose the GOP maintains control of the U.S.
House of Representatives, wins the presidency, and then begins to dismantle
entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare? Or suppose that President
Obama wins a second term and joins the Republicans in making significant
changes to these entitlements, as he previously indicated "were on the table?" Then
I believe there will be a societal explosion in America, the likes of which we cannot
imagine.

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Is there anyone who thinks that this kind of civil
disobedience and protests can't happen in America, that this nation is
somehow immune from them, that the people under such immense stress have
infinite patience and can continue to remain in a state of frustration and
desperation endlessly? We need only look at what's happening in other parts of
the world and we may find our answers to these questions.

The Middle East protests came out of nowhere after social
unrest erupted in violent protests in Tunisia
that spread into Egypt, Bahrain, Syria,
Yemen
and surrounding nations. These were followed by a series of violent protests in
London that
have taken place over the past year; protests of dissatisfaction over increases
in student tuition and government austerity measures. Violent, continuing protests
in our very close ally, Britain,
are an ominous sign that they can also happen here in America.

While most of these massive protests have occurred in Arab
nations, it is simply astounding and hard to believe that very large protests
are also currently happening in Israel.
In Israel
of all places, where an aggressive militaristic government rules; could that
actually be true? Yes it is quite true as demonstrations have broken out in numerous
areas of Israel that are part of a growing opposition to a lack of social
justice, as well as dissatisfaction with
the nation's standard of living.

This article
from Haaretz.com reports the following: "Over 450,000 protesters attended
rallies across the country last night calling for social justice in what was
the largest demonstration in Israeli history." Yes, this is happening in a
nation that has for decades had a population that has remained passive,
submissive and silent but the people are now venting their long suppressed
anger.

In speaking of storms it reminds me of the recent
devastation brought down upon the Eastern coast of the U.S. by
Hurricane Irene. We are fortunate to have, in this country, excellent weather
forecasters and hurricane tracking systems that quite accurately indicate the
speed, direction and force of these massive storms. They are, in effect, warning
systems for federal and state government agencies and the public of impending
danger.

With this information and these explicit warnings our
government, municipalities and individuals can take precautionary measures to
escape the storm or, at least, to limit the damage. Hurricane Irene resulted in
extensive damage but only to one region of this nation, and this damage can be
repaired. The storm of which I speak will have the power to shake the
foundations of this society.

Warnings are being given to this government, the
president, the Congress, and the media that this storm of enormous force is
heading directly for America.
It is a force that is being driven by the dire circumstances in which many
millions of Americans find themselves; a storm that is looming on the horizon,
growing in intensity, ready to wreak havoc upon this nation.

But as this storm heads toward America,
do our leaders in Washington
see it coming? Have they heard the warning of potential disaster? Will they
heed the warnings and take appropriate measures to protect America and its people from society
calamity? Without a doubt, they see it coming but it is becoming more and more
evident that they have no intentions of making the necessary changes that would
alleviate the pain and anguish that so many Americans are experiencing.

And so, they have decided to do nothing, to let nature
take its course and just ride out this storm, hoping it will veer away from America. How
wrong they are, how shallow and shortsighted they are. They have it in their
power to work together to solve these problems, to think about the plight of
Americans rather than concentrate on their own selfish interests but they will
not deviate from their own corrupted agendas.

This storm is out there somewhere on the horizon, ever
increasing in intensity. When those millions of Americans give up all hope of
action by this government and decide that they can no longer remain passive,
submissive and silent, this storm will descend upon America; and when it wreaks
enormous damage on this nation and this society, this government will wish it
had heeded the numerous dire warnings that it was given.

Michael Payne is an independent progressive activist. His writings deal with social, economic, political and foreign policy issues; and especially with the great dangers involved with the proliferation of perpetual war, the associated defense (more...)